The man in the park
by Mystrothedefender
Summary: During his lunchbreak Matthew comes across Gilbert, a homeless man who needs his help.


**I really do like PruCan...**

Matthew loved the park at this time of year, he knew other people didn't, most people hated the overcast, cold weather, the slippery paths, the sludge from the snow that'd fallen two days ago.

Matthew loved it, it was so calm and quiet. He didn't like coming to the park on the day that it snowed; all those obnoxious kids would come down from the apartment buildings and have a snowball fight, and they'd always end up ganging up on that one weak kid. It broke his heart.

But there was no one here today, he could walk by the lake without fear of a snowball to the face, and the birds were back as usual, waiting for him by the bench. The usual collection of ducks and pigeons waiting to eat the last of his lunch.

He pulled his backpack off and used it to wipe the damp seat, he sat and unzipped the bag, pulling out his plastic lunchbox. He said a quick hello to the birds and began to eat his ham sandwich.

He sat in near silence as he ate his food, looking over the lake and studying its frozen edges. He jolted slightly as a man appeared next to him, almost out of nowhere; he hadn't heard any footsteps.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" the man asked. Matthew looked over him; he looked dishevelled, his pale hair was mussed and dirty, and he looked tired.

"No, I don't mind, go ahead," he smiled gently, moving his bag from the seat and placing it between his legs.

The man smiled and sat, watching Matthew finish his sandwich and begin to tear the crusts, throwing the crumbs to the birds that had gathered at his feet.

"Can I have a bit?" the poorly dressed man asked, smiling widely.

Matthew frowned, "Uh," he stammered, "S-Sure?"

He handed him half of the crust, unsure if the man would eat it or feed the birds with him.

"Danka," he said as he took the crust and broke it into small pieces. Matthew watched as he pulled open his coat and pushed some of the crumbs in one of the pockets, whispering as he did.

Matthew looked at him curiously, "Uh, what are you doing?" he asked sheepishly. He jolted slightly as a small squeak came from the man's coat.

The man turned to look at him, "It's my bird," he informed, opening the pocket wider to show a small yellow bird sitting comfortably in a nest of material-scraps.

"Oh," Matthew smiled, "He's cute. What's his name?"

"Gilbird," the man grinned back, "It's a play on my own name. I thought he deserved a name as awesome as mine."

"What's your name?" Matthew inquired, watching as the man continued feeding his bird.

"Gilbert Beilschmidt," the man stated, holding out a grubby hand for Matthew to shake.

Matthew reluctantly took his hand, "I'm Matthew Williams. It's nice to meet you."

Gilbert nodded and smiled briefly before returning to his bird, "I don't know how well he's doing. He seems to be eating well but it's getting colder at night and I don't know if I'm enough for him."

Matthew let out a short 'Aw', "…Well, I am actually a vet. I might be able to look into it; see if he needs any special treatment, tell you what he needs to eat and stuff."

"Really?" Gilbert said, his eyes lightly up, "Oh that would be awesome, I would love if you could help."

"Yeah, of course," Matthew said, "I can come back here tomorrow and tell you anything I find out."

Gilbert's smile widened, "You know you're the first person not to ignore me," Gilbert stated, "Usually people just walk off if I sit next to them, I don't know why."

Matthew shrugged, still smiling softly, "Most people aren't naturally helpful."

"You're saying you're not like most people?" Gilbert said with a slight chuckle, shaking his head as he looked over the picturesque path.

"Eh? N-No, I-" Matthew cut himself off, biting his lip; he didn't want him to think he was that full of himself.

Gilbert chuckled again, "It's ok, I know what you meant. It was a joke."

Matthew smiled at him, glancing over continuously as he continued eating. He had to admit, he liked this guy; he had an odd wheezed laugh that moved his shoulders with it and Matthew had never seen such a thing before.

"You know, if you're worried about your bird I could keep him at the office for a few days, you could come and visit him whenever you wanted," Matthew offered.

Gilbert shook his head, "I couldn't leave him for that long. You would have to put up with me living at your office."

Matthew nodded, "I wouldn't mind the company," he half-mumbled, looking down at the box on his lap. His head perked up slightly, "Would you like a muffin?" he offered. "For yourself, I mean, not the bird."

Gilbert nodded softly, "Yeah," he grinned, extending his hand, "Thanks, that's awesome of you."

Matthew passed him one of the two maple muffins he had packed himself and watched him begin to eat it, "Do you not know any other words?" he asked jokingly.

"Other than 'awesome'?" the man voiced between bites, "Of course I do, but they aren't as…" he chuckled lightly, "They aren't as awesome."

Matthew smiled, eating his own muffin. Gilbert seemed to be in such a grim state, it seemed odd that the only word he felt was good enough to describe his feelings was 'awesome'. "You sound like a very positive person," Matthew stated as he put his rubbish back in his box.

Gilbert shrugged, "I suppose. I just make the best of what I'm given," he seemed a little stuck for words. "…I don't have a place to stay, but I have my little Gilbird to give me comfort and warmth, so it's ok."

"You don't have anywhere to stay?" Matthew asked, his brow creasing into a frown, he pushed the top back onto his lunchbox and put it back in his bag, readying himself to go back to work.

Gilbert shook his head, "No," he answered calmly, "And I don't need one. I don't need that much help," he pushed.

Matthew nodded, "Ok. That's ok," he stood and slung his backpack on. "I have to come back to work… I'll come back tomorrow though, and I'll bring information about how to look after little Gilbird too, ok."

Gilbert smiled again, nodding gently, seeming relatively happy, "That sounds like an awesome idea."

Matthew smiled, reluctant to walk away even though he knew he had to. "Ok, well, I'll see you tomorrow then."

Gilbert nodded, "See you tomorrow," he parroted, turning his head and attention back to the bird in his pocket

Matthew mimicked the nod, and took a few steps backward before turning to walk away, hoping that Gilbert would return the next day and that they would get to talk again.

**I hope you liked it, please review**


End file.
